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a quantity of branches burned in it. The bottom is strewn with 

 leaves, on which the body is deposited. It is then covered 

 with branches secured by cross sticks, and finally filled with 

 earth. Whilst the burning is in progress an old man of 

 the tribe attentively watches the grave to see in which 

 direction the exorcised sorcerer travels, for that is supposed 

 to lead to the detection of the murderer. Amongst the Adelaide 

 tribe a sort of inquest was held, and the . body buried without 

 the formalities above noted ; but the position of the grave east 

 and west was preserved, and a small fire at the head of the 

 grave was supposed to keep evil spirits away. Amongst the 

 Murray tribes and those belonging to the country around 

 Encounter Bay the' corpse was smoked until dried, and then 

 deposited on a platform in a tree out of the reach of wild dogs. 

 The Central Australian tribes eat their dead to prevent the 

 survivors sorrowing for them. The body is taken to the grave, 

 and amongst the Dieyerie, at least, a sort of inquest is held to 

 discover who killed the deceased, after which the flesh is cut 

 from the muscular parts of the body and distributed amongst 

 the tribe to be eaten. There are certain rules by which this 

 shocking practice is regulated. Fathers do not eat their 

 children, but the mothers do. Other relatives eat each other 

 indiscriminately, except that sons do not eat their parents' 

 flesh, &c. The other tribes in the Interior of which the writer 

 has any accounts are all addicted to the same cannibal customs. 

 All deaths are looked upon as the result of witchcraft, and are 

 avenged accordingly on some member of another tribe. When 

 a child dies the mother eats the head, and the children in the 

 camp are fed with the foul diet to caxise them to grow. When 

 grown persons die those who eat the corpse take those portions 

 wherein they think the deceased person's abilities or distin- 

 guishing characteristics are supposed to have been located. 

 Infanticide has prevailed all over the continent for the sole 

 purpose, it seems, of leaving the wife free to attend upon the 

 husband Avho for the time may happen to own her. The practice 

 of polygamy and of infanticide, as well as the prevalence of 

 other customs which cannot be mentioned here, have contributed 

 greatly to keep the tribes from increasing to any great extent. 

 To those who know what these bave been in former times, and 

 what they are now, where the tribes are numerous, it is a matter 

 of wonder that they have continued to exist so long as they 

 have done. Amongst all the tribes wherever they have been 

 found there are special rites and ceremonies which must be 

 undergone by youths before they can be considered to be men. 

 The old men are in all cases most watchful on such occasions 

 lest their proceedings should be witnessed by strangers, but no 

 woman is suffered on pain of death to see what is done, or to 



